http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/contact_sheet/33039 NIGHTMARE'S ANNIVERSARY BORDER LINE REFUGEES ON KACHIN STATE One year ago on 9 June 2011, spurred on by the Kachin Independence Army’s (KIA) refusal to accept the regime’s proposal that all ethnic armed groups transform into Border Guard Forces, as well as the KIA’s strategic control of areas with lucrative Chinese hydropower projects, the Burma Army launched a full-scale attack on the KIA, breaking a 17-year-old ceasefire. Since 9 June, the fighting has led an estimated 50,000 civilians to flee their homes, becoming Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps along the Kachin-China border, in both towns and jungle areas. Crowded living conditions, poor sanitation and hygiene, lack of clean water, and insufficient food and nutrition are causing increased rates of illness among the IDPs. The imminent raining season will increase even more this tough situation. N-Hkawng Pa it is a recently "inaugurated" camp on the edge of the Chinese border. The KIA is aggregating refugees from temporary tent camps scattered in the area where they lived for a year. The number of inhabitants of N-Hkawng Pa camp has reached 1600 units and is likely to increase. Near the border city of Maj Ja Yang refugees lives in old crumbling brick buildings which belonged to a grand Casino formerly. The casino was launched in 2002 by some Chinese. During its peak times from 2004 to 2006, it attracted an average of 100,000 visitors per day mostly from China. Supporting facilities such as hotels, restaurant and staff dormitories were therefore built to meet the great demands. However, they were almost all evacuated when the casino fell in 2009 since the Chinese cut off the line of electricity transmission. These buildings remained deserted until they were taken by incoming refugees as shelters in 2011. The landlord, a mid-aged Shan man, offered his houses for free. KIA has drafted long-term development projects for the IDPs camps. According to the military commander, the refugees are not expected to be able to go homes in 2 years. Currently negotiations are underway between the KIA and the Burmese government, despite the fighting did not cease. According to Kachin guerrillas sources the Burmese government has recently deployed on the front from 2000 to 3000 soldiers thus weakening a possible peace agreement to which the mainly point for the KIA is the withdrawal of troops from the territory controlled by the Kachin Burmese. While Aung San Suu Kyi has received frenetic welcome from her first visit to Mae La Camp in Thailand, her name seems to be less significant or even obscure to some Kachin refugees. http://www.lightstalkers.org en-us http://images.lightstalkers.org/avatars/45664/yo_small.jpg http://www.lightstalkers.org/Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317967/kachin001_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317967'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317967 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:43:11 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317967 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317967/kachin001_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317967'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317970/kachin002_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317970'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317970 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:43:49 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317970 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317970/kachin002_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317970'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317973/kachin002_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317973'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317973 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:44:39 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317973 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317973/kachin002_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317973'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317976/kachin003_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317976'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317976 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:45:12 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317976 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317976/kachin003_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317976'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317979/kachin004_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317979'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317979 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:45:43 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317979 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317979/kachin004_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317979'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317982/kachin007_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317982'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317982 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:46:11 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317982 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317982/kachin007_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317982'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317985/kachin008_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317985'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317985 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:46:34 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317985 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317985/kachin008_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317985'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317988/kachin018_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317988'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317988 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:47:03 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317988 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317988/kachin018_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317988'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317991/kachin022_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317991'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317991 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:47:34 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317991 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1317991/kachin022_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1317991'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1318018/therecyclersfloramo10_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1318018'>view full-size image</a> http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1318018 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:58:26 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1318018 <img src='http://images.lightstalkers.org/images/1318018/therecyclersfloramo10_small.jpg' /><br /><br /><a href='http://www.lightstalkers.org/images/show/1318018'>view full-size image</a> Vincenzo Floramo